The Dolphins are heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs short on one of their rookie wideouts and possibly a backup running back, while getting a key edge rusher back with extra protection on his head.
Miami ruled out Caleb Douglas for Week 3 after the receiver injured his right ankle in the Week 2 loss at San Francisco. Douglas did not practice at all this week, leaving the Dolphins to lean more heavily on third-year receiver Malik Washington, veteran Jalen Tolbert and rookie Chris Bell. Rookie Kevin Coleman Jr. is also in the mix, along with Ryan Miller, who hauled in a 77-yard touchdown last week but has been dealing with foot and back injuries.
Bell could be asked to take on a bigger role if Douglas sits. He has been limited himself while working back from an ACL injury suffered in college, and he played only 24 snaps last week. Bell said soreness and fluid had caused tightness in his surgically repaired left knee, but he expects to be out there Sunday.
“If he's down, if he's not playing, then I've got to come in," Bell said this week. "I've got to play more than what I was used to.
I've been preparing for that. I'm just waiting on my opportunity.
I feel like I haven't played that many snaps because they're trying to be conservative with my knee, but now I feel like I'm good.”
The Dolphins may also be without backup running back Jaylen Wright, who is dealing with a stinger.
On the defensive side, Miami got some encouraging news with Chop Robinson. The third-year edge rusher cleared concussion protocol this week and said he plans to wear a Guardian Cap going forward after missing the loss at San Francisco.
Robinson said the injury happened in practice on “just a football hit" and that after talking it over with family, he decided the extra protection made sense. It’s his third concussion in the last two seasons and fifth of his career, including two in college at Penn State.
“Being smart about it," Robinson said. "I want a future and have kids and a family and everything, so the Guardian Cap has no harm in wearing it, so I might as well put it on.”
His return would be a lift for a pass rush that has not produced a sack through the first two games. Robinson has 10 sacks over his first two seasons and was one of Miami’s most impressive players in the preseason.
In Other News...
Dolphins Loss May Have Exposed How Long This Rebuild Really Is
A loss to the 49ers offered a familiar kind of reminder for the Dolphins: when a roster is being torn down and rebuilt, the growing pains can show up fast. Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have already pushed Miami into a major reset, and the rough start to the 2026 season has made it clear the work ahead is about more than just fixing one bad Sunday.
Malik Willis gives Miami a young quarterback to build around, and the front office has the kind of future cap flexibility that can help accelerate things when the timing is right. Even so, the comparison to the early Kyle Shanahan years in San Francisco is hard to ignore, because patience may be part of the plan here, and the real payoff could still be a couple of offseasons away. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Cornerback Trouble Could Force A Desperation Move
Miamis cornerback room has become one of the more uncomfortable roster questions hanging over the early part of the season, and it is pushing the Dolphins to consider options they probably did not expect to be discussing this soon. One name that has surfaced is Trevon Diggs, who is currently on the Seahawks practice squad after a career that has included real playmaking ability but also enough inconsistency to make any team think twice before leaning on him too heavily.
The appeal is obvious for a defense looking for help, especially with Jeff Hafleys system rewarding corners who can hold up in space and play with confidence. Still, Diggs is not a clean solution, and even Seattle general manager John Schneider has pointed to his late arrival and the work it has taken to get him up to speed. For Miami, the question is whether the upside is worth the gamble, or whether this is simply the kind of desperation conversation teams have when the depth chart starts to fray. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Juszczyk Is Now Arguing Over What Dolphins Celebration Meant
Kyle Juszczyk is still bristling over a pair of fines he says came from a celebration the NFL misread after the 49ers Week 2 game against the Dolphins. The league tagged him twice for unsportsmanlike conduct, billing each infraction at $14,926, and the fullback has pushed back on the idea that his gestures crossed the line.
Juszczyks explanation has turned the episode into more than a standard postgame penalty dispute, with the veteran insisting the message was about juice rather than beer. He has left open the possibility of appealing, which keeps a small but oddly specific sideline controversy attached to a game Miami has already moved past. [Read more 🡒]